https://www.unops.org/
HQ: Copenhagen, Denmark
Focal Point: Nives Costa
Email: [email protected]
Internal Sustainability Team: 3 full-time personnel
Director-General's Message
"The UN Secretary General has made it clear: urgent and ambitious climate action is needed to secure a liveable future for all. At UNOPS, we are committed to working as part of the UN system to reignite progress on the SDGs and on climate mitigation and adaptation, facilitate the clean energy transition, and deliver meaningful actions for people and the planet”
Jorge Moreira da Silva - UNOPS Executive Director
Mission
Our mission
Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.
Our vision
Our vision is a world where people can live full lives supported by appropriate, sustainable and resilient infrastructure and by the efficient, transparent use of public resources in procurement and project management.
Our purpose
We help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.
Alignment with the Strategy for Sustainability Management in the United Nations System, 2020-2030
UNOPS is looking at strengthening several areas covered by the UN Sustainability Strategy: scaling up climate action and safeguards implementation, introducing a sustainable travel approach, etc.
Emission Reduction
After decreasing during the COVID-19 pandemic, emissions had been on the rise, but 2024 saw a slight drop. To meet the UN-wide target of a 45% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030, UNOPS is implementing targeted measures.
EMS and Reduction Efforts
Since mid-2022, UNOPS has amongst others led the installation of smart meters in offices worldwide. These advanced digital devices measure and record electricity demand and consumption in real time, enabling UNOPS to track and analyse energy usage patterns. This data is essential for implementing targeted measures to reduce UNOPS GHG footprint.
Each year, as part of the Greening the Blue Report on Environmental Governance, each participating UN entity’s progress on the development of an Environmental Management System (EMS) is evaluated according to the UN system’s EMS criteria (these criteria are available on the Methodology webpage). Upon this evaluation the entity is then rated Exceeds, Meets, Approaches, or No response. For the 2024 reporting year, UNOPS’s progress on the EMS is rated as: Approaches.
Waste Management
UNOPS introduced a waste reporting protocol in its offices in 2012. As part of its EMS, waste reduction and management are mainstreamed into the organization’s facilities and operations. Data quality is challenging but progressively improving. In 2018, UNOPS also introduced an initiative to phase out all unnecessary Single Use Plastics in UNOPS operations.
Water and Wastewater Management
UNOPS introduced a water reporting protocol in its offices in 2012. As part of its EMS, water conservation and management are mainstreamed into the organization’s facilities and operations. Data quality is still a challenge; it is still early to set water-related targets, but anecdotal evidence shows clear improvement in the way facilities and operations conserve and manage water.
Environmental Training for Personnel
UNOPS provides four online training courses on environmental and climate topics for its personnel, designed to raise awareness and build practical skills — for example, in conducting the Environmental Inventory, understanding the benefits of smart metering and energy efficiency, and strengthening in-house environmental management.
All courses are voluntary and available to all UNOPS personnel.
Environmental Inventory Approach
UNOPS publishes its Inventory Management Plan every year.
Offsetting
Since 2012 UNOPS has compensated its total emissions under the UN GHG inventory with the purchase of Gold Standard certified climate compensation credits.